Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas Profile Taken Down By New York Magazine’s The Cut After Backlash And Apology

A profile of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas blasted by readers who called it xenophobic, racist and sophomoric has been taken down by the website The Cut, which is owned by New York magazine.

“Upon further editorial review, we found this story did not meet our standards. We’ve removed it and apologize,” the outlet said in an editor’s note that replaced the original story under the same URL.

Chopra, a Bollywood star whose fame extended to the West in recent years when she was cast as the lead in ABC drama Quantico, married Jonas last weekend in a lavish ceremony in India. The nuptials got waves of attention from the celebrity media, which chronicled details such as the couple’s custom Ralph Lauren-designed outfits and Chopra’s 75-foot veil.

Written by Mariah Smith, a young African-American writer, comedian and producer, the Cut article zeroed in on the excesses of the couple in a jaundiced tone that offended many readers. Those familiar with the multi-day tradition of Indian weddings say Smith misinterpreted many customs deeply rooted in the culture. While the piece itself is no longer online, a cached version shows lines painting Chopra as manipulative. “She’s a scam artist who never even took the time to make sure he was comfortable riding a horse before arranging for him to enter their wedding ceremony on horseback,” Smith wrote.

Sophie Turner, the fiancée of Joe Jonas (Nick’s brother), joined the backlash, calling the piece “wildly inappropriate and totally disgusting.”

The Cut, which has broken several stories during the #MeToo era and in recent years joined the top tier of female-focused media outlets, describes itself as “the premier destination for women with sharp, stylish minds.” It is also considered fertile ground for TV and film development, as Deadline’s Mike Fleming reported today in a story about Netflix prevailing in a heated auction for The Watcher, which is based on an article on the Cut.

New York magazine declined further comment when contacted by Deadline. Smith, who has gained minor attention for her blog documenting continuity errors in Keeping Up with the Kardashians, did not immediately respond to Deadline’s request for comment.

Here are some of the tweets that have circulated over the past few hours:

Not saying the writers are blameless here! But as a writer, I have had plenty of misguided, poorly formed ideas that thankfully never got published because I had good editors. It's an editor's responsibility to say "that doesn't track" or "hey, that's offensive." Do better.

Baffled by this wholly sexist and a tad bit racist takedown of @priyankachopra as a "global scam artist" just for being a successful brown woman monetising a personal milestone, literally in the exact same tradition of decades-old celebrity culture ?! https://t.co/0zgeruklSW

The sexism, racism & xenophobia really jumped out lol. You're so mad that a deserving Indian woman found someone who values her worth. The one time a South Asian woman is thriving in Hollywood after working so hard, she gets called a scammer. I hope you do some soul-searching.